“Cough cough! …Uueeeh.”
My head is pounding. The scenery reflected in my eyes is dizzying, and my throat feels scratchy.
In this situation where I can’t even organize my thoughts properly, the only proof that I exist here right now is this annoying cough.
The school trip is over, and now I’m hit with this awful cold. It’s really unnecessary…
“Mina, I’m coming in.”
“Yeeees….”
My older sister, Yuyika, entered with a bowl of warm porridge in her hands.
She quietly sat beside me and brought the spoonful of porridge to my mouth.
“Mina, ahh…”
“Ahh…”
I didn’t even have the strength to feel embarrassed, so I opened my mouth and let her put the spoon in.
“Mmm… Thank you for the meal.”
“Is it tasteless or something?”
“Yeees… it’s delicious….”
To be honest, I could hardly taste anything due to the fever, but knowing that my sister worked hard to make the porridge made it feel special…
“Glad to hear that. I should change the towel soon. Just wait a moment.”
Even though it was bothersome, my sister spoke kindly with a smile, and I nodded without a word.
“Hah… Hah…”
My mind is fuzzy, and I can’t think clearly.
Why is my sister even here right now? I thought she said she was really busy recently.
I remember suddenly feeling dizzy and collapsing earlier… but what happened afterwards?
I don’t know…
★
When I came to, sweat was dripping all over my body.
But thankfully, it hadn’t been long since I collapsed.
Earlier, I was trying to get out of bed around 5:20, and now it’s only 5:28.
That means I wasn’t unconscious for long, but it doesn’t mean my situation is good.
Sweaty all over, a throbbing head, and a scratchy throat…
Right now, my body is in the worst condition.
Taking a cold bath was pointless…
For now… I should contact Mom…
I took out my phone, which felt incredibly heavy, and called my mom.
Even the ringing from the phone felt only like an annoyance, adding to my headache.
[Hello? Mina?]
“Cough! Ah, Mom….”
[Huh? Mina, why does your voice sound like that? You don’t seem well…]
“Hah… Hah… um, my body is… cough cough! Huh!”
[Mina?! Are you okay?! W-What happened?!]
“I think I… caught a cold… cough!”
Even though my condition was dreadful enough to make me want to scream, it was likely just a common cold.
Ugh… I don’t want this… Oh, God, please help me just this once…. Right. It’s already been over an hour, so there’s no way it’s something worse, right? It has to be just a cold, right?!
…I had some clues from last week.
[Cold? Hmm… It might be a bit much for me to rush back home… For now, check your temperature with the thermometer in the first aid kit on top of the living room cabinet, and take some fever medicine. I’ll contact your older sister.]
“Got it…”
After I answered, I hung up.
It would be best to measure my temperature first and inform Mom afterward, but it was hard to think straight with my head pounding from just hearing her voice.
And I knew Mom would need to contact Yuyika as well…
I dragged my shaky legs into the living room, took the thermometer and fever medicine from the first aid kit on the shelf, and put the thermometer in my ear.
After a moment of waiting, it beeped!
And the result was…
[38.6℃]
Needless to say, it was a clear fever.
“Hah… Hah…”
Breathing heavily, I moved to the kitchen, popped the fever medicine into my mouth, and took a sip of water.
Naturally, taking the medicine wouldn’t provide immediate relief, so there was no miracle to make my headache and fuzziness disappear instantly.
So I returned to my room and threw myself onto the bed, or rather, I should say I collapsed.
As I held my throbbing head, trying to close my eyes again, the broadcast scheduled for today popped into my mind.
“Oh, this won’t do…”
I had already taken a break from streaming since last Wednesday until Sunday.
Of course, I did an off-collab yesterday, but surely there were many supportive players who felt that wasn’t enough.
But there was no way I could stream in this state, no matter how I thought about it.
[Kaino Izumi☆Star’s Flow @KainoIzumi · 1 min]
“I’m sorry… I caught a cold…. I’m really sorry, everyone… ｡ﾟ･ (>﹏<) ･ﾟ｡ I’ll get better soon and come back!” After posting my break notice as a streamer, I quietly closed my eyes. ★ Ah, that’s right. When my sister received Moms' call, thankfully, she said that work today… no, from yesterday had settled down, so she could come home right away to take care of me. When she returned home, I was sprawled on the bed, drenched in sweat, and my body was burning hot, making her really startled. Well, my condition hadn’t changed much, but the fact that I wasn’t alone gave me quite a sense of relief. Whether in my previous life or now, the hardest part about being sick was the loneliness that came with being alone. “Here, this might feel a bit cold…” My sister brought a towel and switched the one on my forehead with a new one. The cool sensation seemed to ease the headache a little. “I’m sorry, Yuyika…” “Huh…?” “I thought you were really busy lately…” “Don’t say that, Mina. We’re family.” “Yeees…” I felt like tears were about to fall. After all, this situation was something I had caused by being careless last week. Thinking about the trouble I caused my sister made me feel miserable. As I was lost in those thoughts, my sister inserted the thermometer into my ear. “Hmm… but thankfully the fever is slowly going down. Here, take your medicine.” “Yeees…” “If you’re sleepy, it’s okay to sleep a bit more. I’ll stay right here with you.” “Yeees…” With my sister’s words, which reassured me that I didn’t need to keep my hazy consciousness awake, I closed my eyes again. Taking a break from school and streaming because of a cold like this… Back in my previous life, or even the year before last, it was really nice to be able to skip school or work when I was sick. Why is that? It’s not enjoyable at all right now… ★ “Hah, hah, hah…” Feeling stifled all over, I naturally woke up. “Eh? Izumi?” “Isumi-chan, are you okay?” When I opened my eyes, for some reason, Natsune and Hikari Kurokami were sitting next to me. …What’s going on? What situation is this? “Uee…?” “Uh, uh… Wh-What’s wrong, Shiro? Sister… is still absent…” “Okay, calm down… Yoru. You mentioned changing the towel earlier and medication, but we don't have to worry about anything else for now.” Natsune and Kurokami seem to be having some kind of conversation. My head is still hazy, so I can’t really catch it. But didn’t my sister say she’d stay by my side until I fell asleep earlier? Where is she? “Isumi-chan, just relax for now. We’re just here for a quick visit.” “Yeah! We’re not going anywhere. Just rest well.” Ah, I get it. This is a dream. “…Hehe.” Thankfully, my head isn’t throbbing right now, even though I still feel hazy, it wasn’t difficult to move my body. I felt a bit heavy, but it was manageable. “Uff?!” “Isumi-chan?!” “Hehe… Natsune… Kurokami-senpai…” I hugged Natsune and leaned my head against Kurokami-senpai’s chest. Natsune radiated a sweet scent that felt pleasant, and Kurokami-senpai’s chest was soft and warm, providing a sense of comfort. Even though it’s a dream, I can feel all these sensations so vividly. Ah, it’s a lucid dream. Lucid dreams are just the best. I never experienced feeling everything so clearly in a dream before. This is a real lucid dream. I’m so happy. But when I tilted my head slightly to look at Natsune and Kurokami-senpai, somehow they were both avoiding my gaze. Why? I wish Natsune and Kurokami-senpai liked me too… I hoped they would smile at me like they usually do. “Natsune… Kurokami-senpai… Do you dislike me?” “No! That… uh?!” “Uh, Isumi-chan?” It seemed my words surprised them instead. Why is that? I don’t understand. My head is so fuzzy, it’s hard to think. “…Ah.” I get it. “Yoru-onee-chan. Shiro-onee-chan. Hehe…” “Wha?!” “Wha?!” Now that I think about it, I'm not streaming right now. In the past, Kurokami-senpai said she preferred being called by her name when we met in reality. So Natsune probably thinks similarly. They are friends after all. And my guess was right; Natsune and Kurokami-senpai’s lips had indeed curled up a bit. I’m so clever… “Hah… Hah…” By the way, is it just me, or am I drenched in sweat? Even in a lucid dream, there’s no need to recreate the feeling of having a cold like this. I silently wished for this sensation to disappear, but my dazed mind didn’t clear up. Even in a lucid dream, it seems you can’t have everything you want from the start. So, what can I do about it… “Yoru-onee-chan, Shiro-onee-chan…” “Uh, yes?” “Could you wipe off some of my sweat…?” I said that while slowly unbuttoning my pajamas. “Wha?!” “Um, excuse me?!”
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